A Connecticut man was arrested in the employee parking lot of Gillette Stadium yesterday, less than two hours before the Winter Classic was scheduled to start, after police found and seized several weapons from his car, including an electric stun gun.
At approximately 11:05 a.m. Friday, members of the Foxborough Police Department and the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office assigned to the Winter Classic were notified of a suspicious man in the-off-site employee parking lot.
A subsequent investigation resulted in the arrest of 48-year-old Matthew Bromson of North Granby, Connecticut.
During a search of Bromson’s vehicle an electric stun gun and several sharp-edged weapons, including a meat cleaver and a Samurai sword were recovered.
Foxborough Police said this is an isolated incident and at no time was there a threat to Gillette Stadium. But spectators at Gillette Stadium Saturday that spoke with NBC10 said they were shocked to learn of the arrest.
“It’s just insane that someone could to that,” said Pat Mahoney. “Especially at an event like this, like it’s a lot of families out there.”
Fans that attended the Winer Classic said they felt safe because of the massive police presence inside and outside Gillette Stadium. They added that even if the weapons had made it out of the car, whoever was carrying them wouldn’t have gotten far.
“The [police] presence was everywhere,” said Stephen Marchand. “It wasn’t more than a couple of seconds before you saw another policeman.”
Bromson is currently being held and will be arraigned at Wrentham District Court on Monday. He is being charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct, possession of an electric stun gun, and three charges of assault with a dangerous weapon.
